Artist Statement

Vladimir Tsesler is an internationally-renowned artist and designer who has worked in multiple art domains, such as posters, paintings, graphics, sculptures, art shares and industrial design. His ‘meme art’ is a sarcastic take on ordinary things and a colorful commentary on the current global political and social situation. One of the most influential artists and designers to come out of Belarus, he has won several international awards for his poster art and has had work exhibited in the Louvre, Paris. The genius of Tselser lies in his ability to take everyday objects and turn them into artistic statements. His work embodies the ease of perception and the unpretentiousness of his message, with simplicity lying at its core. Mundane objects take on a powerful new meaning when used in an unexpected setting, revealing metaphors for the reality the artist himself experiences around him. His work is associated with various well-known brands and is often shocking, provocative, and filled with irony. It is this ability to transform household names into social statements that has made him so successful and he takes great satisfaction in evoking these kinds of reactions through his work.Tsesler uses a wide range of mediums to create his paintings, sculptures, posters, objets d'art, graphic design, industrial design, and so on. Despite that, each work follows the main rule of any great artist – harmony in composition. By applying this principle to his work, he takes creativity to innovative new levels and renders meaningless the standard definitions of design. With the aim of making a strong statement about today’s political stage, Tsesler creates poster art that echoes the slogans of debunked regimes, such as his work ‘Die Russische Wochenschau’ and its references to Nazi newsreels.

The familiar ration cards of 1920s to 1940s Russia are given a new twist in another of his memes, this time bearing a Louis Vuitton logo, while a well-known chewing gum wrapper is a sarcastic nod to the inflated Russian ruble. Tesler even strikes at the political heart of Belarus and its current marketing brand - dictatorship - in the work ‘The Truth from Lukashenko’. The West doesn’t escape from his witty statements on its political flaws either, with ‘Fucking Monday Again’ portraying a well-suited gentleman walking over a pedestrian crossing on his way to ‘making America great again’. Tsesler continues to push the boundaries of art and design with his cutting political commentary in the form of humorous memes and iconic posters. Repositioning familiar objects into mediums for powerful statements, he sees his creativity as a way of influencing people and their thinking in order to change their perceptions – something that he does exceptionally well.